Get your Cochrane basement permit ready
the first time.
Below: everything Cochrane asks for, researched from the city's own pages. Better: a free tool that reads a photo of your hand-drawn plan and tells you what's missing — before the permit counter does.
Why bother getting it right first
The paperwork is the cheap part
1 in 5
permit applications audited in Toronto were missing required documents at intake — and cities everywhere are cracking down on incomplete files
$1,200–$8,000
what permit consultants and design firms charge to do this thinking for you
$0
to find out if your own drawing is ready — the free tier covers the whole planning stage
Sources: Toronto Auditor General building-permit audit, Feb 2024; published GTA consultant rate guides. Alberta has its own version of the same problem — that's why Cochrane's list below matters.
The official list
What Cochrane asks for
Researched from cochrane.ca on 2026-07-18. Not yet independently verified — requirements change, and the city's own page always has the final say. No fees listed on purpose: fee schedules change, so check the city's page for current amounts.
- 1
Homeowner basement development application form
Owner and project info, estimated construction value, and square footage — with a declaration that construction complies with the Safety Codes Act and starts within 90 days.
- 2
Floor plan / layout
Area of development, use of each room, all dimensions, and window and door locations.
- 3
Fire safety plan
The town's form says it must be posted on site and occupants trained.
- 4
Permit fee
The town's fee schedule is on its permits page.
How to apply
Email the completed forms to safety.codes@cochrane.ca; track status, pay, and book inspections through the BluePrince portal.
Here's the part nobody else does
A list is nice. A checked drawing is ready.
Every item above has to actually appear on your drawing — and missing items are exactly how applications bounce. Done By the Book closes that gap in three steps:
Print the free worksheet
A drawing worksheet built for permit drawings — measurement checklist on one side, sketch grid on the other. Pencil and paper. No signup.
Photograph your sketch
Snap it with your phone. The app reads your hand-drawn plan — room labels, dimensions, windows, the works.
See exactly what's missing
A readiness report, item by item, in your city's own terms — with where to write each missing thing on your drawing. Fix, re-scan, repeat until it's ready.
Then it walks the whole build with you
The app won't open the construction stage until your permit is issued — on purpose. After that: a stage-by-stage walkthrough in build order, with inspection checkpoints so nothing gets covered up before it's inspected.
And it shops your materials list around
Quantities from your measurements, priced at real stores from their own listed prices — one-stop totals, plus the cheapest-per-item route. On our test basement it found $703 in savings just by splitting the list across three stores.
Who inspects in Cochrane
Town of Cochrane Safety Codesmunicipal
Phone: 403-851-2572 · website
Request inspections through the 'Request a Safety Codes Inspection' form on cochrane.ca or the permitting portal
7 money programs may apply to a Cochrane basement or suite project
Every program on our list is checked against its official page, with the date shown — including the closed ones that ads still sell. Most of them require a permitted, inspected project, which is exactly what this app gets you.
See the verified money listShow up to the Cochrane counter ready
Sketch it tonight, scan it tonight, and know what's missing tonight. Free to start, works on your phone, in 8 languages — and it never pretends to be the city: the final say is always theirs.
Start my Cochrane project — freeDone By the Book is independent guidance for homeowners, built with certified Alberta safety codes officers. It is not affiliated with the city and never guarantees approval — it helps you show up prepared. Permits in Alberta are required under the Safety Codes Act before regulated building, electrical, plumbing, gas, and HVAC work.